Direct Sale Brand Ribble Launches Live Video Shopping Service
The UK based direct to consumer brand, Ribble Cycles, has today launched a new service that will allow customers to connect with ‘In-store experts’ from their own home.
Ribble claims that it will allow you to “enjoy the benefits of going in-store from the comfort of your own home”. The service works by you connecting to a one-way video call (You can see them but they can’t see you) with Ribble staff letting you ask any questions you may have and see any bikes you are interested in.
At first, it will just be using staff at their Preston showroom but they are planning to expand this to others in the near future. As well as offering customers the option to browse their stores from home Ribble are also going to offer extended opening hours for their virtual showrooms with the live calls being available later in the evening and on Sundays when the shops would normally be closed.
Andy Smallwood, CEO Ribble Cycles, said: “As a leading direct-to-consumer, digital-first business, Ribble is the first in our sector to offer an authentic retail experience in an online format. Ribble Live In-Store offers the consumer the opportunity to gain access to a physical store, a dedicated expert Ribble brand champion and the complete product range via their own phone, tablet or laptop,”
The technology behind the service is being supplied to Ribble through the customer engagement platform Go Instore, a customer engagement platform, which currently works with a whole range of high profile brands from Dyson to Porsche.
Andre Hordagoda, Go Instore Co-founder, said: “As a keen cyclist and having been through the consultative process of buying road bikes over the years, I fully appreciate the need for professional support in getting sizing and configuration just right. From the early conceptual days of Go Instore we always felt we would work well with a leader in this category – so it’s great to be partnering with an award-winning brand such as Ribble and we are excited to deliver their excellent customer service to consumers worldwide.”
As direct to consumer brands become a bigger part of the industry, the ability for customer to see and talk to a member of staff and have them talk you through their range of bikes offers an interesting future with an element of customer service, normally only available if the bike is in a brick and mortar store.
Find out more about the new 'Live In-Store Expert' service from Ribble here.
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Did they do any market research prior to launching?
Being Canadian, you probably weren't aware that Ribble "makes" their own brand bikes/frames that they sell direct. If they don't carry the derailleur hanger (I thought Brits called them mech hangers?) it becomes an impossible item to source. Thus writing off the bike for want of a $20 piece.
There was one little shop few years ago catering to the freeride/dirt jump scene but the owner gave up the business because he couldn't keep parts to all those different standards and wheel sizes in stock so service was difficult and dealer prices for Shimano/Fox and Sram parts for small shops were often higher than the average price on the internet. He showed me the receipt for an Acros headset I ordered... 94 € for him with a recommended price of 99 € for the consumer.
German online shops like bike components are very knowledgable on the other hand, it's easy to talk to someone and the service is second to none.
Example - I was at one of the shops near me, just casually browsing, and was looking as some five.tens. Personally I am a fan of the freeriders, but that's not important. As I am looking at the freeriders, the bro shop kid comes up saying "dude those are like my favorite shoes".
We then pickup another set of a dif model, and he's all "those are my favorite shoes".
At this point I am noticing a pattern, so I grab a set of the adidas branded five tens and sure enough " these new ones are totally my favorite".
At least that kid was trying to make a sale, at another shop I was with my 5 yo trying on kids helmets and all the hardworking staff couldn't get off their ass from having a coffee and petting the shop dog (admittedly it is a super nice dog). To even say hi to us. So we got sizing and I purchased the helmet online at a substantially lower cost.
The guy that did talk to me I neither tried anything on, nor did I buy the shoes online elsewhere.
The bike shop where I tried helmets on my son nobody even acknowledged our existence so f*ck ya I bought it online. At least the online place sent a thank you email for using them.
Riding a bike is awesome. Some rides are more awesome than others. But it's still all awesome.
I'd think the UK in genreal hates road cyclist's. Especially the weekend lycra brigade.
Think it might be worse here in uk as are roads are so narrow, twisty and busy that getting stuck behind a strung odd spaced pack of them is ...... They ignore every rule of the road, have no insurance , get themself's into accidents with there own stupidity and blame the vehicle drivers road conditions ect every time. It's NEVER there fault.
I'm a terrible human being for dreaming of mowing them down but so are they with there behavior and attitudes to everyone else on the road.
Ha dumb snowflake bought it hook line and sinker . To easy